"I'd be best off in the Pound," Lin, a magma Cybunny, explained. "I mean, I've been there once before.

Finally, the three turned to Susan, the desert Aisha. She'd been awfully quiet...

"Susan?" Sandra murmured. "What about you?"

Susan slowly looked up, and pushed a strand of streaked blonde hair away from her face.

"I'll go to the Pound," she said. "Mom would be heartbroken if any of you had to go. Besides..." Susan looked down again. "Ever since I joined this family I've been nothing but a thorn in everyone's side."

"Susan, that's not true," Lin said. "Mom adores you. She used her only Fountain Faerie Quest on you."

Susan's lower lip began to tremble.

"I'm going," Susan exclaimed, a little more firm. She turned to Acorna, Lin and Sandra. "I'll miss you guys."

"We'll miss you too," Acorna said sadly, as all three sisters got up to hug Susan.

"It's for the best," Susan said, as she broke away from her sisters.

---

"Listen, one of us will have to go! If we don't choose, TNT will choose for us!"

In another quartet, Lia, a cloud Wocky, Lily, a Christmas Peophin, Jen, a camouflage Poogle and Jan, a striped Poogle, argued among themselves, not sure which one should go.

"I'm not going anywhere without Jan," Jen exclaimed, going to stand next to her twin. "It's just the rules."

"Lia, you'll learn to get along with them." Lily smiled faintly, then nodded. "Yes, my mind's made up. I'll go, you guys stay." Without another word, Lily got up from the floor and galloped into another room.

---

"Justine, you're definitely going."

Three Neopets, a faerie Xweetok, purple Grarrl, and blue Aisha, stood in a circle around a desert Poogle. Justine stared up at all of them.

"Good," she said. "I never liked this family anyways. You guys are weird." Smirking, she pushed the faerie Xweetok out of the way and strode away.

"Good riddance," the Xweetok mumbled under her breath. "I never liked you anyways."

---

"Wayne... what do we do?"

"The little ones will never survive in the Pound. They're definitely staying."

"So that means one of us is going..."

"I guess so..."

The purple Scorchio and faerie Kougra looked at each other, then down at the baby Poogle and young cloud Acara.

"I'll go," the Kougra exclaimed suddenly.

"But Sally..."

"I know, Mom has abandoned me once before. I know she already readopted me. But this time... it's my decision. I won't let you or the young ones suffer in the Pound like I did." Sally took a deep breath. "Goodbye... Wayne..."

Wayne nodded, and hugged his sister tearfully.

"Goodbye, Sally..."

---

In the final quartet, a snow Poogle and fire Wocky were having the same situation.

"The babies stay," Ashley, the Wocky, said. Kris, the Poogle, nodded.

"Yeah, but now the question is, which one of us will go?"

Ashley looked down at the ground.

"You stay... I'm the cursed one after all."

Kris shook his head.

"No way, I've had more experience in the Pound than you have."

"It wouldn't be fair to you, Kris," Ashley said, looking her brother in the eye. "Mom's had you the longest. I'm the most recent addition to the family." A single tear fell from Ashley's orange eyes. She quickly swiped it away. "Take care of our baby siblings..."

"Ashley..." Kris started, but it was too late. Ashley was already gone.

---

"Well, have all of you decided?"

The twenty pets had gathered in the living room once again, along with Steph, who's eyes were red from crying for the past hour.

The pets nodded somberly.

"Okay," Steph said. "The pets who are going, would you please come over to me?"

Sighing, Susan walked away from her crying sisters, up to her mom.

Lily galloped up to stand next to Susan.

Justine was pushed to the front by the pets in her quartet.

Giving her quartet mates one final hug, Sally joined the three.

And finally, Ashley scurried up to join them.

Taking a deep breath, Steph turned to the remaining fifteen pets.

"I know this is hard for you guys," she said. "Some of you have developed tight bonds with these pets; I understand that." She took another deep breath. "But unfortunat-"

"Mom, wait!"

Every head in the house turned to face Sandra, who stood near the door, clutching another Neopian Times paper in her paws.

"Yes, Sandra?"

Sandra hurried up and thrust the paper in her owners face. Steph carefully read the paper, and slowly, a grin spread across her face.

Then she began to laugh!

All twenty pets glanced at each other, for a moment wondering if their owner had finally lost her mind, but then she slowly regained her bearings.

"None of you have to go!" Steph exclaimed, holding the paper out for her pets to see. As the pets crowded around, they saw the headline in bold.

APRIL FOOLS DAY PRANK ROCKS NEOPIA! EVERYTHING RETURNED TO NORMAL!

Slowly, the five pets who had been selected to go looked at each other, then down to the rest of their siblings.

Susan squealed with delight as she ran back to her sisters.

Lia let out a sigh of relief as Lily came to join them.

Three pets groaned as Justine proudly walked back to them, tossing her silvery hair.

Sally smiled as she flew back over to her sisters and brother.

And Ashley cried out tears of happiness.

Steph looked around the once again happy Neohome, and smiled.

"Well, guys, happy April Fools Day!"

The End

Search the Neopian Times

Great stories!

---------

Dress to DepressHere are some great fashion ideas that will help you dress to depress!